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The new iPhone Air
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Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared to channel his predecessor and design visionary Steve Jobs on Tuesday when he unveiled the iPhone Air — the company’s slimmest handset yet and its biggest design change in eight years, aimed at reinvigorating a lineup that many fans and analysts had described as stagnating.
Cook opened Apple’s annual product launch event at its Cupertino, California, headquarters with a Jobs quote: “For us, design goes beyond just how something looks or feels. Design is also how it works.”
Inside its 5.6 mm (0.22-inch) frame — slimmer than Samsung Electronics’ S25 Edge at 5.8 mm — the iPhone Air’s circuitry has been condensed to the size of a few postage stamps, while Apple promises “all-day battery life.”
Ahead of the launch, analysts had predicted a lukewarm reception. But on Tuesday, many said the four new iPhones — the Air, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max — offer a range of options appealing to customers with different budgets.
Still, questions remain over whether the iPhone Air can deliver on its battery life claims and whether consumers will accept its single-camera design.
The iPhone Air features Apple’s latest A19 Pro processor chip, optimized for artificial intelligence tasks, alongside two new custom communication chips.
“I heard loud claps the moment it was announced,” said Gaurav Chaudhary, a YouTuber with nearly 24 million followers, known as Technical Guruji. He praised the device’s titanium frame and “ceramic shield” glass, which Apple says improve durability. Despite months of leaks, Chaudhary admitted he was still impressed after handling the device at the Steve Jobs Theater, though he remains cautious about the battery performance.
Seventeen years ago, Jobs famously introduced the first MacBook Air by pulling it from a manila envelope to highlight its portability. The iPhone Air borrows its name and minimalist design philosophy from that laptop, and analysts suggest it may be what Apple fans have long wanted: a device distinct from competitors, packed with hardware innovations.
“I think in an era where we’ve seen a large degree of sameness, it’s great to see Apple bring a new product to the market,” said Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight. “It kind of reinvigorates the whole iPhone segment.”
On the downside, the iPhone Air is equipped with only one camera — compared with two on the base iPhone 17 and three on the Pro models. Ben Bajarin, CEO of technology consultancy Creative Strategies, said the phone’s success will hinge on whether it meets Apple’s energy-efficiency claims.
Apple has spent over a decade designing its own chips with a focus on size and power optimization, Bajarin noted, which could help offset consumer concerns.
Notably absent from the launch was any major update on artificial intelligence features, an area where rivals like Google, with its Gemini-powered flagship phones, have made strides.
Still, analysts said the iPhone Air is likely to drive upgrades during the holiday shopping season and could help Apple regain ground in China, where slimmer, cheaper phones from competitors have eroded its market share.
“We don’t expect the iPhone Air to deliver a major sales boost, as Apple compromised on battery life, cameras, and audio to achieve the slimmer design — features crucial to consumers,” said Will Wong, senior smartphone analyst at IDC.
Priced in the mid-range of the iPhone lineup, the Air debuts at $100 less than Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, which shipped one million units in the second quarter, according to IDC.
That pricing could make it a strong seller, said Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. She noted the Air is essentially replacing the iPhone Plus, which accounted for between 5% and 7% of Apple’s shipments.
“Apple may be late, but when they do it, they do it bigger, louder, or better than anyone,” Popal said.
Source: Reuters
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